Pomegranates are among the most delicious fruits out there that you can typically find during the fall and winter. The fruit can either be eaten alone or included in a ton of recipes and desserts. 

Although a single pomegranate will contain up to hundreds of tiny ruby red seeds, eating this unique delicacy is usually accompanied by a lot of mess or effort. This is because these seeds are hidden away inside a thick shell that is quite difficult to hack through.

Luckily, you don’t need to put yourself through all that hassle to enjoy some pomegranate seeds. 

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This method is by far the most popular way to cut a pomegranate and remove its seeds. It’s ideal for those who want to balance between getting the job done quickly and not making a lot of mess. 

However, for this method, you’ll need to be able to work your way out with a knife. Let’s check it out:

For this method, you’ll need a relatively sharp kitchen knife, preferably a 16 or 18-inch knife. A smaller or serrated knife would do but it would make things a little more complicated.

Additionally, you’ll need a flat and clean surface to cut the pomegranate on. This can be your clean counter or a medium to a large-sized cutting board. Similarly, you may want to wear kitchen gloves to avoid staining your hands.

Place the pomegranate on the cutting board or counter, and press it down with gentle pressure while rolling it around. This step is optional but is quite helpful to loosen the seeds out and making the job a lot easier

3. Cut the Pomegranate Top (or Bottom) Off

The first thing you need to cut off from a pomegranate is the top, which is also called the “flower”. 

You need to cut a small portion off the top so that you don’t cut through the pomegranate seeds, but it’s totally fine if you slice through 1 or 2.

Additionally, the results are quite the same if you cut the bottom instead of the top. The only difference is that cutting the top is slightly easier.

After cutting the top of the pomegranate, you’ll find that the seeds are separated by thick walls of tough white tissue, which are known as the “ridges”.

Align your sharp knife over the middle ridge and cut it, but keep in mind that it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the exact center of the pomegranate. Make sure that you cut carefully so that you don’t slice through the seeds as much as possible.

Continue cutting through different sections of the pomegranate’s ridges, so you end up with 4 to 6 wedges of pomegranate that are rich in red seeds, also known as “arils”. 

Hold each slice or wedge of pomegranate and scoop out the seeds inside whether by hand or by a spoon. Make sure to avoid picking up pieces of the ridge because they’re bland and tough.

Method 1: Cutting Them Vertically

This method is quite similar to the previous one, especially at the beginning. However, it’s much more suitable for those with stronger hands or those who want to avoid slicing through the pomegranate seeds.

Similar to the previous method, you’ll only need a sharp knife and a cutting board for this one. Gloves are also an option but clean bare hands are better for the grip.

Using the sharp knife, slice the top or the bottom of the pomegranate off with a sharp knife. You may also want to roll the pomegranate first to loosen the seeds. After that, split the fruit in half by cutting through the middle ridge.

Now that you have two halves of the pomegranate, you should hold it firmly with your hand and break it into quarters, this should tear only through the ridges, leaving the seeds intact. Remove the seeds by scooping them out.

Method 2: Tearing Them Wide Open

This method is time consuming but it’s the best option if you want to enjoy unsliced seeds of the pomegranate. Here’s what you need to do:

For this method, you’ll need a bowl, a sharp knife, and a wooden spoon. The bowl needs to be deep enough to hold all the seeds in one or more pomegranates.

Make a single horizontal slice exactly in the middle of the pomegranate, which should be parallel to the top and bottom of the pomegranate.

Hold one half of the pomegranate fruit upside down over the bowl so that the flat part is resting on your palms and the curved part is facing up.

Using the wooden spoon, start tapping over the top of the pomegranate so that the seeds start to fall off. Keep doing that until all or most of the seeds have fallen into the bowl.

When you’re done, check the pomegranate and scoop out any seeds that are still stuck to the ridges, then repeat the same thing with the other half.

Sometimes, smaller pieces of the white ridges also end up in the bowl. However, the white color will stand out easily and you can easily pick them off.

Method 3: Tapping the Seeds Out

With that said, you now know how to cut a pomegranate and remove its delicious seeds without causing a lot of mess in the kitchen.

As you can see, there are multiple ways that you can use to work your way through a pomegranate. 

The golden rule here is to choose the one that is most suitable to you by trying each one of them out at least once.

How to Cut a Pomegranate

Method 1: Cutting Them Vertically

Method 2: Tearing Them Wide Open

Method 3: Tapping the Seeds Out

Conclusion

How to Cut a Pomegranate

Method 1: Cutting Them Vertically

Method 2: Tearing Them Wide Open

Method 3: Tapping the Seeds Out

Conclusion

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